Hello, I need computer help again. This time how to run dual monitor setup?

Ok,

My wife is going to be able to do more of her job from home. We are going to buy a cheap microcenter computer. Something in the $100 range. None of her work is actually on the computer it all runs through the internet. So, computer is just a gateway to the internet.

When I buy the computer it will probably not have two video ports... correct?
Do I just need to buy a dual port card and install it? I think all my monitors now have the vga type cords.

Any help would be great.

I want to get this ordered tomorrow so we can get it delivered soon.



if I do the video card, do I go dual vga card or dual hdmi or dual dmi? We dont do gaming or anything like that if it matters.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HBARleatherneck

Ok,

My wife is going to be able to do more of her job from home. We are going to buy a cheap microcenter computer. Something in the $100 range. None of her work is actually on the computer it all runs through the internet. So, computer is just a gateway to the internet.

When I buy the computer it will probably not have two video ports... correct?
Do I just need to buy a dual port card and install it? I think all my monitors now have the vga type cords.

Any help would be great.

I want to get this ordered tomorrow so we can get it delivered soon.



if I do the video card, do I go dual vga card or dual hdmi or dual dmi? We dont do gaming or anything like that if it matters.

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most of those cheap machines are using a single on motherboard plug..
sometimes you can dual with a card but I would not bet on it..
buy a single card with two ports depending on how large the monitors are depends on stats.
most are running Dvi or hdmi vga is pretty dead..

oh and amazon sells about every type of x to y monitor cable

depends on the chipset on the mainboard...
get one that match's amd or nvidia

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...view,3107.html

hit the dropdown and pick your price range

look to make sure that the card can fit in the case, and verify the additional power plug.. all gpu take more power.

Not sure if this helps but with Mac the main external monitor runs through the standard port and a second monitor can run through a USB adapter.

If you're set for buying a PC at microcenter online, you can just use the website to select from "video connectors" to pick the config you want. Unfortunately, as you guessed, I didn't see any that were near your price range pre-configured. I might call the store first and ask them. You can probably find a decent dual monitor card to add on for $50ish, but you will have to know what PC you're getting first so you get the correct card to match.

Would you ever buy used? If so you could likely find a business refurb computer that might work, especially if speed/gaming/power was not a big deal for you. One other good option would be a used business laptop with a docking station, as dual monitor setups are very common with a corporate laptop setup. Let me know if you want to look in that direction, I might have something.

One other thought - with black friday coming up, you may want to wait a little bit longer. I wouldn't wait in line or anything, but there are almost certainly going to be good deals online.

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Originally Posted by Ah Pook

Not sure if this helps but with Mac the main external monitor runs through the standard port and a second monitor can run through a USB adapter.

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We've tried the USB monitor adapter thing here at the office and it sucks ... tremendous amount of lag. Almost unusable.

Depending on the age, a lot of the small form factor business PCs are already dual monitor capable, usually having a DVI port (which may support two monitors as-is), or a VGA port, and another port like a displayport, mini displayport or hdmi.

My last two cheap spare win7 boxes have been hp/compaq business PC lease returns and supported dual monitors from the onboard video via a vga connector and displayport connector, and a dvi and hdmi connector, respectively.

you'll likely need dvi to vga and other such converters to homogenize your connectors, depending on what inputs your monitors can accept.

If it has VGA port and HDMI port, you can run two monitors. It's what I run at work. You may need an adapter like this:

http://www.amazon.com/HDE-Converter-...qid=1417184817

Otherwise you should just be able to plug both monitors in and it'll recognize them.

One of my hand-me-downs is a Dell nearly identical to that one, and it runs dual monitors (one on the VGA, one on the HDMI).

If all else fails, I have an AGP video card that will run 2 monitors on VGA, yours free of charge. My wife used it in her work-from-home computer for a while, and it works well.